Chinese Women Hit Pay Dirt As Entrepreneurs

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WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) A recent report from Mastercard shows women in China are making solid inroads into knowledge assets and financial assets. Not only are they as educated as their male counterparts in both secondary and tertiary education but they are just as inspired and motivated to pursue new business opportunities.

China Daily, Beijing / Asia News Network

Believe it or not, nearly 31 per cent of business owners in China are women, which gives the country eighth rank globally, according to the inaugural Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs.

China made it to the top 10 on the back of a highly energized and vibrant local entrepreneurship environment where it is easy to discern and pursue business opportunities, and receive recognition and respect as a successful entrepreneur, the survey findings indicated.

The overall index of women entrepreneurs, which takes into consideration the proportion of female business owners as a percentage of total business owners, gives China a score of 61.3 and a global ranking of 31.

The index aims to better understand and track women’s progress and achievements in the business world. It uses 12 indicators and 25 sub-indicators to look at how 54 economies, representing 78.6 per cent of the world’s female labour force, differ in terms of the level of women’s advancement outcomes, knowledge assets and financial access, and supporting entrepreneurial factors.

In a report released on March 3, Mastercard Inc said women in China are making solid inroads into knowledge assets and financial assets. Not only are they as educated as their male counterparts in both secondary and tertiary education but just as inspired and motivated to pursue new business opportunities.

The index showed that 60.1 per cent of female business owners in China are pursuing opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, compared with 39.9 per cent for necessity-driven entrepreneurship due to the lack of employment opportunities.